2010-06-17

Idiom Watch

I can be a little peevish about my idioms, but I consider it to be a personal problem. If you are reading this, your problem is that you are about to read a list of words that I find pleasing or displeasing, but if I am known to you personally then at least you will be able to recognize the source of an occasional errant smile or grimace alighting my face during conversation.
  • Wonk - This word has come to take the place of nerd in certain polite circles ("public policy wonk"), apparently popularized in the polite circle of the Clinton Administration of the 1990s. While its necessity is somewhat offensive to my sensibilities (what's wrong, after all, with calling someone a nerd in the year 20xx?), I'm always pleased when people feel comfortable describing enthusiasm or expertise in a non-pejorative fashion.
  • A Taste For - There's a very specific usage of this phrase in discussing meal plans that I object to ("what do you have a taste for"), but it's a long standing visceral objection that I have had difficulty examining objectively. I can appreciate the usage of the phrase in other contexts ("a taste for the dramatic"), but perhaps it is that appreciation for it's idiomatic usage that makes me bristle when the metaphorical cuts to close to the literal. One should appreciate the taste of food, and have a taste for anything but food.